Home & Garden Tips: Water-sensible gardening, affordable entertaining

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) -- THV's lifestyle guru Chris Olsen with Botanica Gardens is here every Wednesday with great tips for you home and garden. This week he talked about water-sensible gardening and affordable entertaining.

Xeriscaping Defined

Xeriscaping is water-sensible gardening, or using plants that survive on the water that nature provides, with minimal supplementation. The word is derived from the Greek word xeros, which means of course "dry." Though water-wise gardening has been around for such a long time, the modern xeriscaping movement began in the 1980's, believe it or not, in Denver, where landscapers worked with the water department to develop more conservation-oriented plantings.

Most of us may live in communities where water shortages are a concern. So the right plant selection becomes important. You want to concentrate on plants that grow like our native plants. Here is a list of low maintenance plants that are durable and tough. A note of caution-newly planted plants require regular doses of water in the beginning until established. Long stretches of hot dry weather can also be a concern, so when possible provide some water to help your plants survive temporary periods of drought.

These are just a few plants that will thrive in our summer heat with minimum care.

Affordable Entertaining

Are you on a budget but you want to have a party. I can show you how to entertain without breaking the bank.

3-Tiered Planter, Food Caddy, or Home Organizer:

Ready for another super easy, fun, an inexpensive project? Create a planter, food caddy, or home organizer using 3 bowls (large, medium, and small) and two wine glasses! It's that simple! Invert one of the wine glasses and hot glue the glass portion to the inside of the large bowl. Now, hot glue the medium size bowl to the bottom of the inverted wine glass. Next, invert the second wine glass and hot glue it inside the medium bowl. Hot glue the small bowl on top of the inverted wine glass. That's it! Now fill your 3-tiered project with succulents and rocks, candy or chips for your next party, or use as a home organizer for keys, mail, etc. Enjoy!

If you are on a mission for a personalized gift, this Oven Baked Message Plate is the gift idea for you! Allow your creativity to bloom with this fun and easy project! A white plate, bowl, platter, etc. (found at the Dollar Store) and a Sharpie marker is all you will need to make this gift idea a reality! Write a message of any kind, a poem, song lyrics, or draw a picture directly onto the white plate using the Sharpie marker. Bake the plate in the oven at 150 degrees for 30 minutes, and your personalized gift is now permanent and ready to give! Have some more fun and utilize the fun colored markers Sharpie has to offer!